On the 30th of March 11 clubs ventured to the picturesque town of Dartmouth to take part in Dart Gig Club’s Regatta. The sun shone throughout with steadily increasing southwesterlies adding a little ‘spice’ to the first leg of the course. Rupert Kempley from Dart GC described the conditions, stating: “A delightful choppy swell and a cheeky breeze gave the gigs some pleasingly challenging conditions at the narrowing of the river.” The buoy turns tested the coxes and crews, showcasing their manoeuvring skills, resulting in some intense races. Reflecting on the event, Anna Koska from Dart GC comm ..read more

After being with Cotehele Quay Gig Club since our inception the club has decided to sell the pilot gig Zeus. She was built by Dave Currah in 1994 while he was still working with his father Jim and has been owned by Par Bay and Calstock rowing Clubs before moving to Cotehele Quay when the club was established in 2010. She has been an excellent boat well cared for and stored undercover in a well-ventilated boat shed with salt water soaked sacks in the bilges at times of hot weather. In 2019 the club spent around £4000.00 on renovation work to extend her life for the foreseeable futu ..read more

Meet Cathy Parkes, a Senior Archaeologist with the Cornwall Archaeological Unit (CAU) and a passionate rower with the Roseland Gig Club. Cathy has combined her love for both archaeology and rowing, leading her to embark on an exciting new project called ‘Porths and Gigs of the Isles of Scilly.’   Cathy shared her plans for this fascinating project with us.  As an archaeologist with Cornwall Archaeological Unit (CAU), and also a rower with Roseland Gig Club, I’m excited to be starting on the ‘Porths and Gigs of the Isles of Scilly’ project, with survey and scanning work on the islands ..read more

On the 23rd of March, Bude Pilot Gig Club hosted the third round of the Roadford Races. The event took place despite challenging conditions, with winds of up to 40mph.    Neil Dennett from Bude Pilot Gig Club said: “Conditions were similar to those expected on the open seas as opposed to the usually calm waters you would expect on a lake.”   With a minor adjustment to the racing schedule, the juniors were given the priority to race first, ensuring they could take advantage of the optimal conditions.    Crews battled fiercely to position themselves favorably for the upc ..read more

The final regatta of the new South Devon Winter League took place on a generally calm day with a mix of sun, rain, and mist. Despite the sporadic weather, a considerable number of spectators attended throughout the day. Crews from Yealm, Salcombe, Dart, Paignton, Teign, and Brixham raced the straight 1.8 kilometre course.    Photo credit: Brixham Gig Rowing Club   The results were as follows: Men’s Super Vets – DartDart had the winning time of 8 minutes 28 seconds with Brixham second in 8 minutes 46 seconds and Yealm finished third in a time of 9 minutes 01 seconds. Men’s ..read more

On Saturday the 16th of March, clubs from the Carrick Roads and the surrounding area met at Restronguet Sailing Club to participate in a series of practice race pieces. The event, hosted by Falmouth Pilot Gig Club, was aimed at preparing experienced crews and coxes for the World Pilot Gig Championships in May.   Following a slight delay due to fog, the racing started with the Men’s Vets, Super Vets and Masters followed by the Women’s Vets, Super Vets and Masters. The race started at Penarrow foreshore and continued toward Messack. After a short break crews raced back to the shoreline.&nbs ..read more

Our community gets involved in all sorts of adventures and activities. Affinity Rowing Club member, Pippa Fairhead explains how members of the club ended up on the big screen in the recently released film, Vindication Swim.   Vindication Swim, tells the tale of Mercedes Gleitze who became the first British woman to swim the English Channel. She completed this challenging task in 1927 overcoming the oppression faced by women in British society in the 1920’s and the cold stormy waters of the North Sea. She also faced a rival, Mona McLennan who claimed to have swum across the channel faster ..read more

Helford River Gig Club hosted the annual Mini Scillies on the 23rd of March.  24 gigs arrived bright and early ready for a busy day of racing on the Helford Passage.  There was a mix of sunshine and rain throughout the day. The strong westerly wind and changing tide created some challenging conditions testing crews ahead of the World Pilot Gig Championships in May.  Racing began with the Men’s Masters and Vets, featuring 16 crews aiming to showcase their dedication to winter training. Falmouth A demonstrated their strength, crossing the line in 14 minutes 44 seconds. Caradon A ..read more

On Saturday the 16th of March Porlock Weir Gig Club hosted their very first regatta, sponsored by Shearwell Data Livestock Systems.    It was the perfect opportunity for crews to gain race experience ahead of the 2024 World Pilot Gig Championships in May. Crews from Ilfracombe, Bristol, Clevedon, Burnham-on-Sea, Portishead, Weymouth and Midland Cornish Rowing Club participated in the regatta held at Wimbleball Lake. Perched high in the Exmoor National Park, the lake often encounters wet and wild conditions, Saturday was no exception.  Despite the weather, crews had a great day o ..read more

The start of the season brought sunshine and smiles at the Three Rivers Race on Sunday.   First held in 1991 with just 5 gigs, it is now one of the largest regattas of the gig racing season. Caradon Gig Club hosted 98 gigs, with a total of  198 crews racing across both categories.  The Three Rivers Race is a great preliminary regatta which gives crews an opportunity to showcase the results of their commitment to training over the winter season. The gruelling 6 mile race begins on the River Tamar under the Tamar Bridge, a historical landmark that connects Cornwall to Devon. The c ..read more